The Suitors
by CheshireGirl0913
Summary: Based on "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". They kept the secret for years. But how many did it take for one to solve the mystery of the shoes? Rated T for unprincess-like language.
1. Confession

It was true.

We had been sneaking out, night after night to dance. All but one never figured out how we got out. But some were just too close to call.

Some of our methods of trickery were clever. Others nearly cost us in multiple ways.

We did not plan on anyone finding out our secret. Then again, not all secrets stay hidden forever.


	2. Suitor 1

Suitor number one walked in the very first day, before really any of us knew that our father had set us all for ransom to the man who solved the mystery.

I, Elinora, the eldest, had only just turned sixteen when the first one arrived.

He was a prideful man, clean-shaved. He was muscular an walked in an "I-can-do-anything-easy" sort of way. Danelle would not stop staring at him, but I think his sights were mostly on his own reflection and not on my thirteen-year-old sister. We thought he was merely a visiting dignitary of sorts.

It wasn't until dinner that we knew exactly what was going on. Suitor number one opened his mouth too widely to my father. He voiced his thoughts on how sure he was going to marry one of us, which made us shiver. Who'd want to marry and insensitive prick like this man?

The King warned him that he only had two more days. My sisters and I knew that this man must not figure out our secret. Otherwise, we'd be calling this man our brother... And for one of us, our husband.

By the following afternoon, he had not done much to even try to solve the mystery. He just pranced around, taking in the view of our father's palace. Dinner passed with talk of how he thought he had an idea, but with little response from me or my sisters.

The end of the third day finally came and my father asked if he had figured it out. He tried creating some tale, but without evidence, it was not worth our father's time.

I sighed with relief as he was draged away. No girl would ever have to deal with his bigotry again.

* * *

**In case any of you are curious, here are the name's of the princesses (aged as of this chapter telling):**

**Elinora, just turned 16**

**Brynlei, 15**

**Desilyn, 15**

**Casmira, 14**

**Mairin, 14, twin sister to Marilee**

**Marilee, 14, twin sister to Mairin**

**Danelle, 13**

**Jacinda, 13, twin sister to Ebony**

**Ebony, 13, twin sister to Jacinda**

**Rosaleen, 12**

**Cyerena, 12**

**Aisley, 11**


	3. Suitor 2

Suitor number two came about a week later. We thought our father was over trying to find our secret. We were wrong.

He arrived before noon. He had a thin, almost fragile build and looked almost feminine. When we first realized he was here to "solve the mystery", we thought he'd be breathing down our necks like the last one.

Number two was the biggest wuss I think I and my sisters had ever had the chance to meet.

During the afternoon, he started exploring, shivering with every step. Every little sound would make him jump out of his pants in pure fear.

Once we realized this, we decided to have some fun.

We spun some tales of "Darius Stocks" who "died" during the Scarlett War, the most ghastly, brutal war in our country's history. He was in love with our great-great grandmother, who was to marry our great-great grandfather. They married, but Darius and our grandmother had an affair behind their backs. Once our grandfather realized that he was being betrayed, he slayed Darius and our grandmother was imprisoned for "conspiracy". Now Darius' spirit haunts the palace, swearing vengeance on all who enter. We were safe because he loved our grandmother... But we weren't so sure about him.

Throughout dinner, he was shaking in front of our father so much that the silverware started clanging like church bells. He spoke with an annoying stutter that could have made any linguist wonder if he was speaking Dutch or Chinese.

He stayed awake through both the nights and almost refused to leave his rooms except for meals. It was quite hilarious to listen to him speak to us after a while, but it was bothersome that because of him we couldn't go out to dance. We all agreed not to try scary stories again if another came along.

Once the third day arrived, our father asked for an explanation. Scared for his life, he claimed that the ghost of Darius tempted us out of our beds to go dancing with him each night because of our grandfather. The look on our father's face was priceless.

We still mock his stutter-filled voice in remembrance.


	4. Suitor 3

We thought after the second one that father would be done with trying to find us out. That's when suitor number three arrived.

He wasn't a pleasant character. Whenever we would have casual conversation, he would just comment with a "hmpf" and walk away. He didn't seem to like me or any of my sisters.

Safe to say, the feeling was mutual.

He also had the most unpleasant table manners I had ever seen, even when Aisley was a baby. By the time dinner was over, so much food had splattered onto the table that our father had the servants clean it the moment he left the room.

He was a horrible snorer, too. The younger ones, would always cover their ears as we snuck past his bedroom to go dancing. You'd think that he would wake up with all the noise he makes at night. Long story short, he was disgustingly horrid person.

Our father must've thought the same, because he sent him off the next day.

We try avoiding any memories of him.


End file.
